Funcom and EA Partners announce they are now accepting preorders for The Secret World, and that this advance commitment to the conspiratorial MMORPG will include guaranteed access to all the game's beta event, which will run "most" weekends between May 11th and the game's launch on June 19th. Here's the complete list of preorder incentives.

Guaranteed access to all Beta Weekends starting May 11, with the ability to carry over their characters to every subsequent event

Guaranteed Early Access to the game, up to four days prior to the gameís official launch

An exclusive in-game item providing an experience boost to progression

An exclusive in-game t-shirt featuring a unique monster design

A powerful pet (Ferocious Wolf, Egyptian Cat or Loyal Hound) to support the player in combat

I am most disappointed with Funcom. Selling DLC months before release with the Innitiate pack, and so clearly monetizing everything about the game to the point that you only get three character slots per account and you have to buy more.

The whole thing smacks of greed and stinks of a desire to pull in as much money as possible with preorders because the game is incomplete and people will be leaving in droves after that first month. At least that's how this feels.

To top it off the game has both microtransactions and a standard monthly fee. If the preorders are any indication it will be heavily Pay 2 Win as well. Most disappointing.

To me, these are just another carrot right. I understand that it's not a real beta. What it is though, is an opportunity to get familiar with the system/UI/options/etc. so that you can hit the ground running on day 1. I also think there there is a modicum of information the developers get regarding any game breaking things that may crop up during those weekends for their inevitable day 1 patch.

I don't mind paying for this. Every game does it nowadays. People will pay for it, like me, so why wouldn't they do it?

Hellbinder wrote on Apr 3, 2012, 13:39:actually no your wrong it was talked about as free to play from the time it was first mentioned. if fact this was also talked about by the anarchy online dev crew over a year ago before anyone even knew the games name. they got to see the companys new super secret free to play game. and that it was going to revolutionize mmmos etc.

something clearly changed along the way. i see now that there were some articles talking about it. obviously they changed their minds and decided to charge. this game was definitely absolutely supposed to be fully free to play with a cash shop.

pretty lame.

This game has been known about for far longer than a year. I think it was in design phase before age of conan was even released. Since 2006 at least. It never was going to be free to play. They WERE talking about f2p mmos a few years ago, but those were an entirely different project.

Hellbinder wrote on Apr 3, 2012, 13:39:actually no your wrong it was talked about as free to play from the time it was first mentioned.

Care to post any links that back this up? As in, proper article/intervews from the developers, not speculation from fansites or forums.

From what I can remember, it was never meant to be free to play.

And you would be correct. As far back as 2009 Funcom was delivering "state of the business" interviews and speeches referring to their business plans as "our F2P games and Secret World", deliberately separating the two. They were probably doing it before then, that is just the first time I noticed it...back in May of 2009 reviewing the notes of their fiscal quarter presentation.

edit: I double checked with Google to make sure my memory was correct before posting. I was actually wrong, I thought it was 2010, MMOGamer says 2009. Ah how the years fly by as we get old.

Anyway, the short version of the notes look like this:

Horizon 1

Extend Core Business- Age of Conan- Anarchy Online

Horizon 2

Build Emerging Business- Secret World- Free-2-play MMOs

Horizon 3

Create Viable Options for future opportunities

- New free-to-play MMOs- New large scale MMOs- Virtual world social networking

Smooth Gravy wrote on Apr 3, 2012, 18:07:I'm excited to play this. I like the idea behind skill wheel system and the setting. Every game that comes out has issues nowadays. From what little I've been hearing, they have admitted to the flaws of AoC and they have teams spending equal amounts of time on each phase of the game up through end game. I'm looking forward to this more than GW2 myself. To each their own.

Likewise here, as this skill system to me offers a great deal more what I'm looking for than GW2.

I'm excited to play this. I like the idea behind skill wheel system and the setting. Every game that comes out has issues nowadays. From what little I've been hearing, they have admitted to the flaws of AoC and they have teams spending equal amounts of time on each phase of the game up through end game. I'm looking forward to this more than GW2 myself. To each their own.

Certainly Funcom is known for their rocky starts. Having been in AO as my first 'beta', Hell of a proving grounds lol. However, with all of AO's problems I still played it longer than any other MMOG and consider it my all time favorite, even though it wasn't my first MMOG. AO had a really unique flavor and atmosphere, and a depth and complexity that no other MMOG has even approached (not even Eve).

I would add that their track record might change now that the former company lead is gone and this game is lead by the same guy who did The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. That alone gives me some hope for the title. I don't know if I'll preorder, but I damn sure am going to try the game out.

At the very least it will hold me over until GW2 comes out, which I personally think is going to hit sometime in the fall.

Hellbinder wrote on Apr 3, 2012, 13:39:actually no your wrong it was talked about as free to play from the time it was first mentioned. if fact this was also talked about by the anarchy online dev crew over a year ago before anyone even knew the games name. they got to see the companys new super secret free to play game. and that it was going to revolutionize mmmos etc.

something clearly changed along the way. i see now that there were some articles talking about it. obviously they changed their minds and decided to charge. this game was definitely absolutely supposed to be fully free to play with a cash shop.

pretty lame.

Nope. It was never marketed as free-to-play. People were GUESSING it was going to be Free to Play, but they revealed this was going to be monthly fee + microtransactions last summer. You clearly haven't been following the game that closely.

actually no your wrong it was talked about as free to play from the time it was first mentioned. if fact this was also talked about by the anarchy online dev crew over a year ago before anyone even knew the games name. they got to see the companys new super secret free to play game. and that it was going to revolutionize mmmos etc.

something clearly changed along the way. i see now that there were some articles talking about it. obviously they changed their minds and decided to charge. this game was definitely absolutely supposed to be fully free to play with a cash shop.

In game bonus items with preorder - GoodLifetime sub with the most expensive preorder - Good (too bad bioware didnt think of this)Beta access with preorder - Bleh, backwards thinking.

Seriously.

"Spend money up front to get beta access"

instead of

"Get beta access to see if you want to spend money on preordering the game"

The fact that game companies these days want us spend our money on things without us even being able to get a taste of what the game is like, is just so backwards from the way it should be. Its like being forced to pick between whats behind curtain number 3, or under the box. We dont know if whats there will be something we like or not, but regardless, we are stuck with it.

A good, fun game will make people WANT to preorder it. People wont know this about the game however, unless they actually get to try the beta. Dropping 200 bucks on something you have never tried, and have no clue if you will even enjoy or not, is just dumb shopping.

Hellbinder wrote on Apr 3, 2012, 13:05:um this game has been advertised ass free to play since it was first mentioned. that was one of its biggest selling points. it6 would be the greatest free to play game made. article were written about how it was going to impact the paid games..

why does one need to preorder a fully free to play game that was designed to be FULLY free to play from its inception? talk about bait and switch. (sorry typing with 2 broken fingers in splints)

They never said it was going to be free to play. You're thinking of another game. Did you also fracture your skull and receive brain trauma?

Hellbinder wrote on Apr 3, 2012, 13:05:um this game has been advertised ass free to play since it was first mentioned. that was one of its biggest selling points. it6 would be the greatest free to play game made. article were written about how it was going to impact the paid games..

why does one need to preorder a fully free to play game that was designed to be FULLY free to play from its inception? talk about bait and switch. (sorry typing with 2 broken fingers in splints)

Even better, it will be a traditional subscription game with a cash shop too, yay! /s